ash gourd halwa recipe | kashi halwa recipe | dumroot halwa recipe

ash gourd halwa recipe with step by step photos – delicious halwa made with ash gourd or white pumpkin. the recipe comes from udipi cuisine. its also known as kashi halwa and dumroot halwa or dumrote. ash gourd is also known as petha in hindi, poosanikai in tamil and kumbalanga in malayalam.

there were a few requests for the recipe of ash gourd halwa. so i had made the halwa some time back. hence thought of posting it on the occasion of navratri festival. the recipe is very easy to make and you won’t believe that the halwa is made from ash gourd.

for the recipe, i referred to venkatesh bhat’s kashi halwa recipe on hotstar. i have loosely adapted the recipe from there. i have reduced the amount of sugar and also did not strain the grated ash gourd. due to the amount of ghee and sugar added in the halwa, it is a bit heavy. so a few spoons are enough 🙂

serve kashi halwa as a dessert or a sweet. you can also prepare the halwa as a naivedyam and offer to the deities. the same recipe can be used to prepare pumpkin halwa. i have also posted a version of pumpkin halwa which uses less sugar and ghee.

heat 1 tablespoons ghee in a thick bottomed pan. add 12 to 15 cashews. you can even add less cashews.

saute till the cashews turn light golden.

then add 1/2 tablespoons raisins. you can add less raisins or skip them.

stirring often, saute the raisins till they swell and puff up.

remove both the cashews and raisins with a slotted spoon. keep aside.

lower the flame and in the same pan, add the grated ash gourd. mix very well.

cover the pan with its lid and cook the grated ash gourd till its raw aroma goes away.

do check after every 4 to 5 minutes. usually ash gourd has enough water to cook in its own juices. but if the ash gourd starting sticking to the pan or getting lightly browned and the mixture looks dry, then add water.

i did add water as all the mixture had become dry. i added 1/4 cup water and cooked the ash gourd with the lid on the pan.

you have to cook the ash gourd till all its raw aroma goes away. it took me around 15 minutes on a low flame. time will vary depending on the pan thickness, size, dimensions and the flame intensity. so keep around 10 to 15 minutes time for cooking ash gourd.

now add sugar and mix it very well.

then add a generous pinch of saffron strands. saffron strands are used to give a nice orange-yellow color to the halwa and also for aroma. if you do not have saffron strands, then skip it or use an orange natural coloring extract.

mix saffron with the mixture.

keep on stirring and sauteing the halwa mixture on a low flame.

once the mixture starts thickening, you will feel a bit heavy while stirring the mixture. the lightness that was there before won't be there.

the halwa mixture has to be stirred often and sauteed on a low flame till it thickens and starts to leave the sides of the pan.

once the halwa mixture thickens and starts separating from the pan, then add 1 to 2 tablespoons ghee.

mix the ghee very well.

after adding ghee continue to saute on a low flame till the halwa starts separating from the pan. this will take 2 to 4 minutes.

then switch off the flame and add 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder.

also add the cashews and raisins.

mix very well.

let the kashi halwa cool down a bit and then serve. avoid serving hot as its very hot due to the sugar syrup consistency. you can even serve ash gourd halwa warm or at room temperature.

recipe notes

- you can add less cashews and raisins if you want. - the recipe can be doubled too.

how to prepare kashi halwa or ash gourd halwa recipe:

1. firstly rinse and then peel 315 grams ash gourd. remove the seeds and the white pith. then chop it in large pieces, so that you can easily grate.

3. heat 1 tablespoons ghee in a thick bottomed pan. add 12 to 15 cashews. you can even add less cashews.

4. saute till the cashews turn light golden.

5. then add ½ tablespoons raisins. you can add less raisins or skip them.

6. stirring often, saute the raisins till they swell and puff up. remove both the cashews and raisins with a slotted spoon. keep aside.

7. lower the flame and in the same pan, add the grated ash gourd.

8. mix very well.

9. cover the pan with its lid and on a low flame, cook the grated ash gourd till its raw aroma goes away.

10. do check after every 4 to 5 minutes. usually ash gourd has enough water to cook in its own juices. but if the ash gourd starting sticking to the pan or getting lightly browned and the mixture looks dry, then add water. this will depend on the water content in the ash gourd.

11. i did add water as all the mixture had become dry. i added ¼ cup water and cooked the ash gourd with the lid on the pan.

12. you have to cook the ash gourd till all its raw aroma goes away. it took me around 15 minutes on a low flame. time will vary depending on the pan thickness, size, dimensions and the flame intensity. so keep around 10 to 15 minutes time for cooking ash gourd.

13. next step is to add sugar.

14. mix the sugar very well with the ash gourd.

15. then add a generous pinch of saffron strands. saffron strands are used to give a nice orange-yellow color to the halwa and also for aroma. if you do not have saffron strands, then skip it or use an orange natural coloring extract.

16. mix saffron with the mixture.

17. keep on stirring and sauteing the halwa mixture on a low flame.

18. once the mixture starts thickening, you will feel a bit heavy while stirring the mixture. the lightness that was there before won’t be there.

19. the halwa mixture has to be stirred often and sauteed on a low flame till it thickens and starts to leave the sides of the pan. after adding sugar, it took 10 minutes for the halwa to come to the consistency as shown in the below pic. so it may take between 6 to 10 minutes, depending on the type of pan, metal thickness etc.

20. once the halwa mixture thickens and starts separating from the pan, then add 1 to 2 tablespoons ghee.

21. mix the ghee very well.

22. after adding ghee continue to saute on a low flame till the halwa starts separating from the pan. this will take 2 to 4 minutes.

23. then switch off the flame and add ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder.

24. also add the cashews and raisins.

25. mix very well.

26. let the kashi halwa cool down a bit and then serve. avoid serving hot as its very hot due to the sugar syrup consistency. you can even serve ash gourd halwa warm or at room temperature.